It’s the beginning of a new year. The beginning of a new church schedule; the beginning of a new opportunity to strengthen my testimony. My thoughts go to a question I have to often ask myself: “Shawna, are you going to be self-motivated enough to do your...

Lady: “Why are you leaving? What have I done to cause you to want to leave?” Man: “You know why I’m leaving—you’re crazy and controlling. I can’t handle it anymore.” As he yelled these words at me and turned away, I smelled a cloud of pinch-nosed alcohol. Lady: “Have...

Devoted husband and father Rory Mele is a brand new addition to our site! Rory's articles will focus on a variety of topics: raising an infant daughter with Down Syndrome, coming back to the Church after excommunication, and finding joy in the gospel of Jesus Christ....

First, I must apologize. I had way more fun writing this article than you could ever have by reading it. I’m sorry. Nevertheless, I recently had an epiphany of sorts. We often think about leaving our personal histories for our families and posterities....

Something happened the other day that prompted me to ask myself a very serious question: Am I truly converted? I spent the day pondering the state of my heart. We all have good days and bad days, but when all is said and done, what matters is whether we walk the walk...

I recently read a comment on Facebook from a mom who felt like ABA therapy was torturing her child, so I thought it wise to address what ABA really is. Because for someone new to it or for a parent unfamiliar with what ABA therapy is, it can be confusing. What...

In the vision of the three degrees of glory in Doctrine and Covenants 76, the first description of those receiving the Telestial Kingdom is: These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie....

This is Part Five in a series of articles about Lauren's conversion. For the next most recent article (Part Four), click here. The rest can be found here. Moab was an entirely different universe. As I approached my new home, pillars of red rock zoomed past my...

In my experience, sometimes it's really hard not to lose hope. Not hope in God, exactly, although certainly that is a legitimate, painful struggle for some people — but hope that things will ever get better. Maybe it's after your 15th doctor appointment...

Deception has a devious way of cheating us even when we think we are safe. The reason that this vice is so misleading is because we don’t even realize at the time that we are being taken (deceived). But we can recover before it’s too late. Please allow...

As we begin a new year, one particular thing tends to be on everyone’s minds: New Year's resolutions. Making resolutions is easy; committing to them is much harder. So this year, I would challenge you to try something new: make goals instead of resolutions. ...

Several months ago, I prayed for greater understanding of some of King Benjamin's speech to his people, specifically his words about how God immediately blesses us and how we're forever in His debt. I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the...

Today, I had the pleasure to spend some time at a park near my home. Aside from the mosquitoes that seem to be able to find me from miles around, I had a pleasant time. There is a pond and walking trail meandering through partially wooded areas. It’s a wonderful place...

This blog post is second in a two-part series that deals with mature themes (primarily sexual abuse), and may not be suitable for all readers. Reader discretion is advised. Please also note that this is one abuse survivor's experience and does not speak for all...

The miracle of Christmas began with a humble birth—Jesus Christ, the Lord, Savior, and Redeemer of the world, was not born in a palace. His parents were not of significant wealth or fame. And while his birth was foretold by prophets of old, the leaders of the time...

“For at some moment in the water he must have realized that he would not live if he continued to hand over the rope and ring to others. He had to know it, no matter how gradual the effect of the cold. In his judgment he had no choice. When the helicopter took off with...

When I was a little girl, I used to play for hours in our family’s little nativity. I carefully moved Mary and Joseph around the stable. The wise men had to be placed in such a way that they didn’t obstruct the view of the baby Jesus. The animals were all looking at...

If your family has members with autism, you already know that you need to adjust what you may be used to doing for the holidays to fit their needs. When I was growing up, one of my favorite things around Christmas time was going Christmas caroling. I loved it even...

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